Mania of an Unbalanced Mind
by Mini Wolfsbane
Summary: After going on a mission, Molly gets suddenly infected and becomes extremely paranoid. Before she becomes a danger to herself and others, the X-Men have to help her before something worse happens. 51st story in a series. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

AN:This is probably the most horrible thing I've ever written, in terms of plot. It was somewhat inspired by a 'Smallville' episode, at least it's basic element of paranoia. When I say horrible, I mean how much I put Molly through here, not that it's a bad story.  
At first I thought about scrapping it, but it took so long to think it up, that didn't seem ideal. Besides, without challenges and trials, how can characters get stronger and have character development? In the end, the whole thing may not be mentioned again and Molly WILL get past it offscreen, but no matter how bad I feel about what I did to her, she will be stronger for it in the overall narrative. If Rogue can survive a personality overload ('Self-Possed') Molly can survive this.  
I'm sorry in advance for the oncoming feels you'll be getting!

* * *

Molly waited outside the main entrance of Bayville community college. Her car was in the shop for repairs for the past week, and what with Scott now not trusting either Remy or Molly after the complete destruction of both an X-van and a mini-jet, Molly was certainly not allowed to take out any of the school's vehicles. So, being the good boyfriend that he was, Remy had agreed to drive her around for the whole week.

Except today he was late. And it was only Wednesday.

"Hey _Molly_, who are you looking for?" A tall, blonde catty girl named Jessie and her crew showed up behind Molly. They'd been teasing and getting on her nerves for the past month after they found out she was a mutant. It was a big school, so not everyone was aware of who was and who wasn't. Since there wasn't any actual hazing, Molly couldn't report it. (Besides, the school board had gotten a little lax lately on the 'Be nice to mutants' policy, Molly noticed.)

"She isn't looking for anyone in particular. She's looking for a doughnut truck!" A redhead in black boots and a black outfit laughed obnoxiously.

"My boyfriend. He's late," Molly murmured, ignoring the redhead looking across to the car exit and entrance way.  
Lots of cars came in, and out (mostly out), but no car coming in was Remy's. It was late summer, so Molly had switched out her usual shirt for a sleeveless light orange hoodie over a black tank top. Comfortable with long shorts and not too hot.

"Yeah right," Jessie said, "More like her imaginary boyfriend!"

That made Molly pay attention. She stood up straight, looking at them with fire in her eyes.  
"He is _not_ imaginary! His name is Remy, he's good and kind and sweet. Which is really more than I can say for you."

"Do you have pictures of him?" Jessie asked.

"I left my phone at home," Molly said, embarrassed.  
It had been a horrible morning for her, starting off with being late.

"Riiiight," A girl with platinum-blonde hair in pigtails drawled, "In order to love _you_, he'd have to weigh a ton and have a face full of zits! Face it Molly, you ugly and nobody loves you! It's probably just some guy you like picking you up late, not really your boyfriend. You're fat. Go to McDonalds' and eat it out over a dozen ice cream sundaes, because you're never going to get a guy and you can't convince us you have one."

Molly swallowed hard. She was angry and felt like crying, all at once. Anger made her stomach hurt. It had been many years since anyone had been this cruel to her. These girls made Ray's teasing seem like sweet words in comparison.

Before Molly was about to start crying, she felt a pair of hands spin her around and then Remy dipped her back expertly as he kissed her, (also expertly). "Sorry I'm so late, ma cherie. I'm not being very good to you today, am I? I love so much, Molly."

Molly smiled as she straightened back out with Remy heavily putting an arm around her, holding her close. Remy had probably heard what the girls said, putting on a display like a proud peacock. Sometimes Remy was too much, and sometimes that was a very good thing.

"Maybe we could go out for _ice cream sundaes_, because, you know, you have a healthy appetite and have _generous curves_ and aren't built like a _stick figure_," Remy glared at the four girls, who all ranged from thin to average. Molly hoped he wasn't about to go after the girls that were practically flat-chested. Not that it was a bad thing, (Kitty was small and she owned it), but it was surely the kind of thing Remy would point out. Not that it was nice to go after them because of their own weight either, but they had started it.

Meanwhile, the girls mouths were hanging open as they stared. As well they should. Remy was not only tall and fit, but he was good-looking. Definitely better looking than any guy in their computer graphics class, by far. Molly had chosen well and worked hard to get Remy, now it was paying off in spades.

"You're really her boyfriend? This isn't just some put on?" Jessie found her voice.

"I'm really her boyfriend," Remy smiled proudly, (and vainly, Molly could tell),  
"Now, we have to go. Au revoir, ladies. And go eat something yourselves. Looks like you could use it."

Remy and Molly turned back around, heading for the car and getting in.  
"I really am sorry I'm late, baby," Remy cooed as he looked behind him to back out, "The danger room session ran over time with the new kids. They're still getting used to their powers."

Remy was referring to the kids they'd rescued from the Splicers. Remy's new students were 14 or younger, with only a couple being a little older. Remy had gotten promoted to teacher status nearly the minute they got back from their trip to Nevada. (Which had been great and Remy had actually had fun, once he relaxed and loosened up. Of course, this also involved being convinced that Molly's family was kind and not going to interrogate him, which they didn't.) The school was now in desperate need of teachers. Scott hadn't been entirely happy about it, but the faculty approved. Remy was now more an X-Man and responsible guy than ever. Both he and Molly were proud.

They hit traffic and started driving home.

"It's okay, I get it. I...I don't know. Do you think they were right? Should I try to lose some weight?" Molly frowned.  
She was actually afraid Remy might slam the breaks. (He certainly wasn't quiet about how much he loved Molly's shape).

"I don't think they were right about anything, but it's up to you, Molly. Why? You been thinking about it?" Remy questioned.

"A little. Clothes are always hard to fit and I'm sure I'd look better. Maybe girls like that would actually believe I have a boyfriend," Molly stared at the floor.

"Hey, listen and listen good," Remy became serious, "Do it for yourself. Don't do it because a bunch of skanks like that were messing with you. What they said was shallow and cruel. Not to mention very, very untrue. You _are_ beautiful, I _do_ love you and you have me always. If you want to lose weight, I won't stop you. I'll even help you, but just do it for the right reasons.  
Regardless, I think you look fine now. You've really always been chubby anyway, so don't worry too much, whatever happens."

Molly regretted the night her family had brought out the baby pictures.  
(It was so cliché , but also inevitable.) It was true, Molly had always been on the heavier side, but this was something she had to think about before committing to it. Losing weight was obviously hard work, because if it weren't, lots of people wouldn't be overweight.

"Thank you. That means a lot. I guess I'll just do my best and see what happens," Molly smiled a little.

They arrived home and Molly set her bag down in her room while Remy sat on her bed.  
"So do you have homework or...?" Remy wondered with a twinkle in his eyes. Sometimes Molly had homework she brought back with her, working on the Institute's computers or her own computer. Trying to get a degree in computer graphics wasn't easy and did require some work. Not to mention the extra classes Molly enjoyed, like writing and 'Introduction to History'.

"Not today," Molly jumped onto the bed, crawling over and putting hand onto Remys chest, "But I wouldn't mind an 'anatomy lesson'." Molly smiled, fighting back a giggle as she ran her hand over Remys chest, leaning away from him to get more comfortable. She couldn't even say it with a straight face.

Remy quickly pulled off his shirt, laying back, he waved a hand over his body theatrically. "Study me."

"The shirt goes back on before Logan sees you in my bed like this," Molly laughed. Remy was so ridiculous!

"You are really no fun sometimes," Remy pulled his shirt back on, seeming slightly disappointed.

"Sometimes," Molly agreed, "However, I know what you like and I'm not a total killjoy."  
Molly unzipped the sleeveless hoodie she was wearing, pulling down the black tank top underneath flirtatiously to show a bit more skin.

Remy whistled. "Alors! That _body_!-But when did you get this bold...and flirty?" Remy mused, drooling.  
He sat upright to get a better view, his eyes no longer looking at her face.

"I know I don't usually show off like this, but it's just us here. I'm less self-conscious when it's just you. Besides, I'm not shy all the time," Molly got closer again, kissing Remy.

They started kissing. Molly put her arms around Remys neck, getting closer than usual, their bodies touching. Molly liked the feel of her weight squished close into Remys chest. The air was electric with their attraction for each other. Molly ran a hand up one of his arms to feel his muscles. Remys bicep was hard and the veins inside were twitching. Remy was a beautiful man, inside and out, but it was times like this that Molly enjoyed how exceptional and divine he looked (and felt).  
Molly's hand ran over one of his broad shoulders, savoring it. Mollys head was swimming, in a good way. She let her hand go up his back, to the back of his hair. Molly's heart was pounding excitedly.  
Air seemed hard to find. She was surprised when Remy stopped, leaning away from her.

"Uh, sorry? What did I do?" Molly wondered.

"You didn't do anything," Remy said with a slightly embarrassed smile,  
running a hand back through his hair, "I'd rather stop. I was getting too into it. Things haven't been that intense in a while."

"Um, okay," Molly said. This was new, but they'd had many talks about boundaries. Molly just never expected Remy to be the one to stop first.

"I know it's weird, but I want to have a little more decorum.  
I know I'm not always on my best behavior, so I want to do better," Remy gently held her hands.

Sometimes they did get carried away, Molly had to admit. Probably more times than Molly really wanted to admit. "That's sweet. I want to do better too."

Remy leaned in so that they gently touched foreheads. It wasn't quiet-there was a lot of yelling and footfalls going on outside the room-but with Remy, here, alone, Molly felt wistfully content and at peace. In that way, it was a quiet moment.

Seconds later, there was a knock on the door. "...Oh," Was all Ororo said.

Logan, standing next to her, was less tactful.  
"Not swapping spit like usual, I see."

"No," Molly said grumpily, "What's up?"

"Tomorrow morning the team is going to Florida. There's been a rash of mutant hate crimes and riots in a big town. The police are having trouble handling it and thought we would be better equipped to check it out," Ororo explained.

"We're on it," Remy said, "What time are we leaving?"

"Right after breakfast," Logan said, turning around,  
but over his shoulder he said, "Nice to see you kids being less handsy."

Molly covered her face with one hand, blushing.

"Don't worry, Petite," Remy soothed, "It's fine. We actually got a compliment from Logan. I think that made my year."

* * *

AN: I've been wanting to do a "THAT'S your boyfriend?!" scene for forever. Glad I finally had somewhere natural to put it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

The next morning, after a warm shower and getting dressing in her uniform, Molly gratefully went down to breakfast in the kitchen. She was already extraneously hungry.

"Slow down. You'll get a stomach ache," Remy watched her eat, looking a bit concerned.

"But I'm _so_ hungry," Molly moaned. A light dinner last night-trying to cut down calories-hadn't done her any favors. Regardless, she did slow down her eating. An upset stomach wasn't ideal on a mission, or anytime really.

Soon enough, breakfast was finished and everyone was either sitting or getting into the jet.  
"You're co-pilot," Kurt handed Remy a pair of headphones, while Kurt sat in the pilot seat.

"Really? What brought this on?" Remy asked.  
Molly looked intrigued too. Scott had always piloted missions, since, well, forever.

"What do you think?" Kurt motioned to a cozy looking Scott and Jean, sitting in the middle seats, "Someone wants to spend time with his honey."

"I think they just became more disgusting," Molly said, making a face, then taking the seat behind Remy.

"And I think that's probably how we look to everyone else," Remy said, taking his seat.

"Really? That's pretty gross," Molly made a sickened face.

The team soon arrived in Florida. The forever warm, sunny weather didn't disappoint.  
It was summer everywhere, sure, but Florida had beaches and warm weather year round,  
unlike Bayville.

"Where to first?" Remy wondered.

"The police station," Cyclops said, "We have to let them know we're here and see what they want us to do."

They quickly arrived at the police station. Molly was a little taken aback by the number of people either being brought in or waiting around to be detained or otherwise after getting arrested. People from all walks of life, some of them looked worse than others, with long hair and tattered, stained clothes. Men in white tank tops or women in shirts and sweat pants or jeans, with sandals. Humanity at it's lowest point. Not that people who got arrested were horrible, no, but they weren't exactly showing that they were upstanding citizens either. And half of them looked like they hadn't showered in a week. Molly didn't want to be judgmental, but it was hard to give anyone the benefit of the doubt when they were sitting in here because of a bad decision or doing something dumb like driving under the influence.

"Honeyyy, you look like ripe peaches with an apple bottom," A man in his 50's with scraggly grey hair in a black vest and jeans said, leering intoxicatedly at Molly as the police dragged him past in handcuffs.

Remy gently pushed Molly behind himself, glaring at the man heatedly.

"It's okay," Molly said softly, "Anybody tries anything, I'll just grizzly bear them and they'll back off."

"Maybe you girls should wait outside," Scott suggested.

That was met with a lot of "No ways" and "Not even".

"Just because we're girls doesn't mean we can't take a few guys being total pigs," Rogue protested, "We've faced a lot worse."

"Can I help you?" A young cop came up to them. He couldn't have been much older than the kids, with brown hair and trust-worthy looking brown eyes.

"Yes, we're the X-Men, here to see your captain on official business. He's expecting us," Scott said.

"Ah, okay. This way sir," The young man nodded, leading them to the back office.

Inside the office, there were the usual amenities of a desk, a filing cabinet, a couple of chairs in front of the desk and a coffee maker off to the left wall. Behind the desk sat an older, balding gentleman with a mustache, looking through stacks of files and paper work.

"I know it's in here..." he murmured to himself as the team walked in.

"Sir? The X-Men are here to speak with you," The young officer said.

"What? Oh, fine, fine, Kalaspy, thank you," The man looked up, shoving the files aside and standing, shaking Scott's hand "I'm Captain Jefferson, pleasure to meet you all."

The team quickly introduced themselves.

"Alright, Here's a map of the area and we've been having problems here, here and here and at these stores and apartments," The captain handed Cyclops a list.

"We'll get on this right away, sir," Cyclops said.

The team left the room and started to exit the building. Except for the unexpected escape of some big, muscled six-four guy. It took seconds for the biker-looking in the vest and white shirt with the mullet to knock out the two cops bringing him in, then he ran back out the door.

"Got him," Cyclops said. The team ran outside and down the sidewalk.

"I'll get him," Creature smirked, quickly turning into a grizzly bear.  
She charged, obviously faster, landing on top of the man so hard it knocked the breath out him.

Unfortunately, her teammates weren't happy about this development.

"Way to leave us something to do!"

"Nice going!"

"There's no 'I' in team!"

"Guys? Don't get so upset," Gambit said, "She was just trying to help."

Meanwhile, Creature was sitting on top of the man to prevent his escape. Creature was actually pretty hurt. She was only trying to use her powers to an advantage and make short work of catching the guy.

The team didn't take Gambit's words into consideration, they just quietly picked the man up off the ground and took him back to the police station. Afterwards, they piled into the van and started driving to one of the apartment buildings.

"Maybe I should sit the rest of this out if that's the way everyone feels. Maybe I'm just not wanted," Molly crossed her arms, still hurt.

"That's not true. We need you today. Everyone agree?" Jean said.

Murmurs went through the group.

"You're acting like children. What's going on? It was one guy, we couldn't all take him down," Cyclops said.

"That's not the point. We work as a team. No one rushes out ahead. We plan and execute together," Rogue said.

"Well _sorry_ for trying to make short work of a simple situation," Molly snapped.

"Everyone needs to relax. We'll talk about it later. Right now we have a job to do," Cyclops said.

* * *

"You okay?" Remy wondered as the two of them hung back at their first location, a pharmacy.

Molly forcefully shoved a black make-up bag back onto its shelf with both hands. The display teetered before settling.

"...You're not okay," Remy observed.

"I wasn't doing anything wrong," Molly said, "It's not like we could all take one guy down. I saw an open and I took it. What's so bad about that?"

"Nothing. Maybe everyone's in a bad mood," Remy said.

"You shouldn't side with me just because we're together.  
What are you thinking?" Molly asked.

"They were a little right, we work as a team, but you're right too. It wouldn't take all of us to take him down, so I don't understand whey they're so upset either," Remy said.

"I'm not sure if I should apologize or wait for them to," Molly said,  
"I don't want us to keep fighting all day."

The team came and found them. Kurt was, predictably, eating a bag of chips he'd bought while everyone else was standing around.  
"We got all the information we need, so we're onto the next stop _After_ we talk this out," Scott said.

"What's there to talk about? We know what happened; Molly screwed up," Rogue said.

"And she should apologize," Kitty said.

"_I_ should apologize? I'm not the one with the attitude over some tiny, nothing thing! We couldn't take him all down. One or two, tops, but not everyone." Molly glared.

"You never gave us a chance to help," Kurt summarized, "You took over without a second thought. Sometimes you're just...controlling."

"Fine. I'm out. I'll do the mission tomorrow, but I'm not going to stand for this now. I thought we were friends! I'll see you back at the hotel," Molly said, calmly leaving the store.

Outside, Remy ran after her.  
"Honey, come on. It's just a few hours. I don't want you out here by yourself."

"I'll be fine, Remy. Go back inside. Call me only if you guys really need me.  
I can't do this right now," Molly frowned before turning into a crow and flying off.

* * *

Strange how the way back to the hotel seemed further flying, even though it was only a few blocks away from the pharmacy.

Molly was close to the hotel when the sunlight suddenly seemed blocked out for a few moments.

WHAM!

The talons of a hawk brushed at her back as the animal ambushed her from above unexpectedly,  
catching her off balance. Mollys crow form twirled in the air before righting herself,  
but only for several seconds before being hit again and falling to the ground.

Starting to black out, Molly veered herself into a park, past the buildings and actually missing the busy roads below. She became unconscious before hitting the ground, but thankfully,  
she was falling too fast for the hawk to catch up to her.

When she woke up sometime later, Molly was relieved that it was still light out, but had no idea what time it was. However, she had landed in a large puddle, so she woke up with a start, demorphed. Waking up in water always brought to mind thoughts of drowning. The water tasted like dirt and in her startled state, Molly had swallowed some of it, but no matter. At least she was alive.

'I have to get back to the hotel. Question is, which way is it?' Molly thought.

Molly headed out of the park and to the sidewalk. All the while, she was starting to feel strange, but chalked it up to the shock.

Molly was about to ask someone for directions, when horror struck her.  
Who could she trust? How could she trust them when she didn't know them?

Molly vigorously shook her head. Where was this paranoia coming from? It was so bad, Molly noticed she was shaking. She went back into the park and sat on the ground. She took out her communicator and turned it on. She could trust the team, right? Even after everything? Or could she? Molly fought back the doubts. They were her friends, no need to worry.

"Guys? You there? I-it's Molly. Something's _really_ wrong and I need you to come find me," Molly said, "I'm at the park."

"We're coming. Hang on." Remy said.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

Shortly, the team found her and Molly summarized what was wrong. She'd stopped shaking, but the overwhelming fear was still there.

"You look okay, but I can feel it. You feel paranoid. Chaotic," Remy looked greatly concerned, frowning and tense.

"I just want to get back to the hotel. I don't like this," Molly said, "I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin."

"I'll take you back and the team can finish without us," Remy said, "It's a short walk."

It didn't feel like a short walk to Molly. It felt like everyone was staring at her.  
Like all the strangers that walked by wanted to hurt her, or worse.

"This is _bad_," Molly moaned, "I know all these feelings aren't real, but I'm so aware of them, they feel real."

Remy, with one hand over her shoulders while his free hand held Mollys, squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I won't let anything happen to you. Just a couple more blocks and we'll be there."

"Thanks for being so supportive, but brace yourself. I think it's just going to get worse later on. If experience is anything to go by," Molly smiled a little.

"I can handle it," Remy said confidently, "I'll be with you the whole time."

Eventually, they got to the room. Remy shut the curtains and made the light low,  
then getting Molly some normal clothes to change into so she'd be comfortable.  
After changing, she went over to where Remy was laying on the bed and snuggled against him.

Except, even in the quiet of the room, the paranoia still buzzed in her head.  
About nothing in particular, it was just a feeling. She was perfectly safe,  
yet mentally, not safe at all.

"These feelings are persistent, aren't they?" Remy shifted uncomfortably, feeling what Molly felt, as always.

"You're here. As long as your here, I'm safe, no matter what," Molly's voice shook.

Remy held Molly closer, kissing her forehead.  
"Anything else I can do to help?"

"Keep talking. I don't like all the quiet," Molly said.

Remy started regaling Molly with stories from his Thieves Guild days.  
It kept her preoccupied, if only somewhat.  
"Hungry yet?" Remy wondered a little later.

"Not hungry. Probably getting worse. Sorry," Molly worried.

"Don't be sorry. What else can I do?"

"I'm not sure," Molly answered.

"So what makes you think you're getting worse?" Remy asked.

"I haven't calmed down much. It's comfortable in here, but I still feel paranoid.  
I can't help but think if the team's okay and how you feel and-"

There was a knock at the door. Molly jumped a mile, than Remy steadied her.  
"It's fine. Just someone knocking. I'll get it."

Remy went to the door and slowly opened it a crack.  
"Yes?"

BAM!  
The door was forced open and Remy flew back onto the floor.

"AHH!-Is this really happening or am I imagining it?!" Molly yelped.

"It's really happening," Remy said, making his way up from the floor.

"We heard there were mutants here, looks like we were right," One of the Friends of Humanity said.  
He was tall and imposing, with red shirt covering huge muscles, a black beret, thick mustache and sunglasses,"We're the FOH, Miami Florida chapter. And you're X-Men."

"That's right. So we'll be seeing you," Remy grabbed Molly by the hand and dissolved the window that led to the balcony.

"Hang on tight," Remy in structed, holding her close around the waist.

Remy swiftly climbed up and over the railing, lowering the two of them to the balcony below.  
Subtlety wasn't a concern as he dissolved the glass door and ran through the occupied room.  
Blonde fraternal twins were sitting on the bed watching TV while their parents were standing,  
mouths agape at he sight of Remy and Molly.  
"Sorrysorrysorry!" Molly babbled as they ran out.

Remy hit the nearest elevator's buttons, then went to the stairwell.  
It didn't take long to get to the lobby and outside. Thankfully, the FOH weren't smart enough to guard the front doors.

Remy got out his communicator. "Team? You need to come get us.  
Do not go back the hotel! Do you copy?"

"Copy. Where do you want us to get you?" Jean asked on the other end.

"We'll be on The roof of the Starbucks. We'll find you," Remy said, looking around.

"The roof?" Molly wondered.

"Escaping rule number five; Go where they can't see you," Remy explained.

"Right. They'll be looking inside places. They're too dense to look on roofs," Molly nodded.

They made their way to the roof from the outside in an alley, via grappling hook, and waited. "How are you holding up?" Remy wondered.

"Okay," Molly said, "Nothing like a chase to distract you from your feelings.  
Uh, what about you?"

"Me? I could do this all day," Remy smiled resiliently, but Molly could tell that worrying about her and escaping from the FOH had taken a toll on him.

"I'll be fine. Don't let what I'm going through distract you from everything else," Molly put a hand on his arm.

"Molly, come on, cherie, what kind of man would I be if I didn't worry about you? It's not distracting. It's scary and I want to get you back home so we can find out what's wrong. The other things will get taken care of," Remy looked at her seriously.

"Thank you. You know me, I always play things off like this, but I won't be fine. Not yet. Maybe not ever again and-" Molly put her hands over her mouth to quiet herself.

"We're going to make you better. Always do," Remy hugged her.

* * *

While they waited, Remy and Molly watched the FOH below them search for them.  
Things seemed okay at first, until they saw that the men were threatening people for information.

"Well, that's not good," Remy said, "I'm going to go take on the thugs.  
Will you be okay by yourself?"

Molly nodded. "Go. I'll be, uh, fine."

Remy got back down to the street, taking out his cards and staff.  
Hopefully if he scared a couple off, he wouldn't have four men trying to attack him at once.

"You know, it's not polite to go around threatening people," Remy quipped, approaching two of the men, accosting a small auburn haired woman and her short husband with glasses.

"You decided to come out of hiding. Good," One man smiled as the couple ran away.

Remy threw some charged cards, catching the men off balance, but not having the effect Remy had hoped for. So he had to make a bigger explosion, but obviously he didn't want to kill these creeps or hurt anyone in the surrounding area.

"Okay, can't play nice anymore," Remy said under his breath. He charged the cards again and they flung the men far down the street so that they hit it and rolled. Remy looked to see that they were still breathing,  
so they'd be okay, if bruised and scraped up from the concrete.

"Anyone else?" Remy looked at the other two men. They ran to a black van and sped off. The cowards.

"Good job!" Molly shouted from the roof.

Remy sent her a thumbs up.

There was light applause from the surrounding bystanders, but received mostly scowls for the trouble the FOH had caused from the mutant hunting. Remy shrugged to himself with a corny smile. Mutants brought trouble whereever they went, so he didn't expect a ticker-tape parade.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

It took the better part of an hour after that for the team to come get them,  
because the team had been all the way on the other side of town.

"The FOH are even here. It figures," Scott said with a sigh.

"Our fight isn't with them, we've got a job to do," Jean said, "Molly, how are you feeling?"

"The same," Molly answered.

"Molly shouldn't be here. I want to get her home as soon as possible," Remy said.

"I dispatched a team to come out and get a sample of the puddle she fell in and take you and Molly home. Bobby and Jubilee will be taking your places," Scott said.

"Thanks Scott," Molly said.

After a few hours, Remy and Molly were back home, and Molly was in the process of getting tested by Beast, but since Molly was feeling so extremely paranoid,  
this didn't make things easy.

"We really have to use that many needles?" Molly stared at the tray of needles.

"We're going to have to if we want accurate test results-Molly?"

Molly had made a run for it, but was squirming as Remy carried her back, setting her to sit on the examination table. Now she'd stopped being aware of being paranoid and it had taken over her system completely.  
There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked extra pale and sick. Her body had gone back to shaking again. "Noooo! I don't know what's in them or what he's taking out!" Molly moaned.

"Hey, Molly, it's going to be alright. Everything's going to be okay. Look at me," Remy tried to soothe her as he held her by the shoulders, "Hank just needs some blood samples and he's going to give you something to help you relax. Nothing bad."

"You're sure? They look so scary and something could go wrong," Molly said.

"I'm sure," Remy said, "Just don't look."

Molly huddled against Remy as the needles went in and out, one by one.  
Molly started looking sleepy, but her shaking had stopped. They moved her to a medical bed.

"Is the bed safe? Is the water safe?..." Molly trailed off, quickly falling asleep.

Going to the next room, Remy took a seat like he had the weight of the world on him.  
"This is, in a word, horrifying. What could've been in one puddle to spin her out like this?"

"We'll find out eventually. You should go upstairs and get some rest. I'll call you if I need you. Molly's in good hands, Remy," Hank said.

Remy reluctantly went upstairs, trying to keep busy by working on the model car he'd gotten, but it was useless. 'Everything's going to be okay,' he thought, 'Molly wouldn't want me to worry.' He laid on the bed and breathed, trying to relax.

* * *

At ten that night, a storm had started and was just getting louder. The rain hit the roof like tiny lead weights, pummeling it.

Meanwhile, inside, Molly woke up with a start. She looked around her, relieved she wasn't tied down, but she had to get out of the mansion. It wasn't safe here.  
Molly wasn't sure where was safe, but here had needles and risks and...everything.

Molly unhooked the few medical devices she was attached to, quickly put her shoes on and went out the nearest window. Beyond the window, the storm persisted, and outside she'd have to get over the gate, but a gate was nothing for a rhino. Molly pummeled through the gate like it was made of toothpicks.

She felt much safer as a rhino, but the insistence that everything was out to get her kept fueling through her body. Molly decided heading to town would be a good move.

* * *

"Molly is gone, I repeat, Molly is gone!" Hank's voice crackled over Remy's communicator.

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Remy yelped, unbuckling his pants, grabbing his uniform and throwing it onto the bed. He slipped out of his shirt, single handed, then putting on his uniform while Hank talked. "I was out of the med bay for ten minutes and when I got back, she was gone. She went out the window."

"So she's out in this weather, unreal!" Remy griped, putting his boots on last.  
Thankfully, the team had returned home that evening since the Florida trip hadn't required them to stay overnight as they first expected.

"We're out the door. Remy, meet us in the van," Scott said over the communicator.

In minutes, the team was on the road.  
"She could be anywhere. She could also be anything," Remy said, "I don't think she'd stay human."

"I don't think so either," Rogue said.

"We shouldn't have yelled at her today. She didn't deserve it," Kitty said, "Now Molly could be hurt, or worse!"

"Try not to think about it," Kurt said, "Even with how she's feeling, Molly knows how to protect herself."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

Molly made it all the way to town, coming on an open diner that looked welcoming and safe. She changed back to human and the rain soaked her hair, making her pajamas sopping wet as well. She went inside and sat in a booth. Since it was so late, the place was almost empty, but what customers it did have gave her sideways looks.

"You feeling alright, hon? You don't look well. Is there someone we can call?" A blonde waitress came up to Molly.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just needed...uh...somewhere safe and dry to get out of the rain." Molly said calmly.

"Right. I'll get you some water," The waitress nodded, leaving for the kitchen.

Molly forced herself to remain calm and not let her eyes dart around.  
She couldn't force herself from fidgeting nervously, like someone with muscle spasms.  
The exit was close, the front door was close. Molly moved the utensils off to the side,  
being careful not to touch the fork prongs or the butter knife.

"Hey girl, you look familiar," An imposing, heavy man in a plaid shirt and truckers cap came up to the table with a skinny, blonde male trucker friend, "You been on the news?"

"I look familiar? Doesn't everyone look familiar? News? M-maybe, maybe not.-Did you hear that noise?" Molly kept fidgeting.

"She's not worth it, George. Looks messed up to me," The skinny man said.

"Naw, she's worth it. I think she's one of them. A Mutant. Mutants blew up my last two trucks and I couldn't work," the man said, "I got kids to feed."  
The man grabbed Molly's arm, jerking her out of the seat. "So let's take you out back and see if you bleed like a real human."

"Nonono!" Molly shrieked, reverting to her tiger form. The men backed up while everyone else ran out,  
leaving Molly standing on all fours, her tail swishing.

"I've taken on 'gators bigger than you!" George grabbed at Molly before she knew what was happening.  
It would take a lot to pick her up, but the man was trying to grapple and restrain her with his bare hands. Molly fought it, her claws digging into the linoleum. She didn't want to hurt him-she could kill him-but she had to do something!

Molly bit into his arm, just enough to make it hurt.

"AHHHHH!" The man yelled, but still didn't let go.

"Police! Let go of the animal so we can restrain it," A tall police officer came through the door with his female partner, weapons drawn. Two men dressed, in brown uniforms, from animal control were right behind them with a Tranquilizer gun and a large net.

George let go of Molly and she made a run for it, headlong through the back exit and down the street.  
What was she going to do now?

* * *

"Uh, looks like Molly was here," Kurt said as the X-van drove past the diner. There were two police cars and an animal control truck outside.  
The team parked and got out, making a b-line for the police.

"Ma'am, what's going on here?" Cyclops asked a female police officer.

"X-Men? A mutant was in here. She was confronted by those two bozos, then she turned into a tiger and ran off down the road that way. You kids might be able to help find her, she could be dangerous,  
that man said she bit him. Witnesses said she looked manic, didn't act right."

"She's not dangerous, she's one of our team," Cyclops said, "We're looking for her. Please contact us if you find anything. We'll handle it from our end. She's in a fragile mental state, please don't use force on her." Cyclops handed her a card with phone numbers on it.

"Thank you. We'll do our best, but if things start going south, we won't hesitate to do what we need to. The citizens come first," The officer said.

The kids piled back into the van, obviously disgruntled.  
Remy looked like he was going to explode.

"Remy, don't take it personally," Jean said gently, "The cops don't know Molly like we do."

"It's not that so much. If Molly really bit that guy, no doubt he went after her unprovoked. If I ever see him again..." Remy let it hang.

"We'll find her. She's got to be out there somewhere," Kitty said.

* * *

Molly ran until she collapsed in an alley. Panting from exhaustion, her feet hurt. She changed back to human and then sat in the alley, thirsty, tired, scared and alone. Her head throbbed with a migraine. Everything was making her fearful, nothing made sense. Molly swallowed, trying to catch her breath.

Perhaps running away from the school had not been a good idea after all.  
The Institute had beds, a roof, walls, food...safety. The Institute was safe, after all.  
It wasn't an empty alley, at least.

Molly moaned aloud, still unsure and confused. Would her friends take her back?  
Did they want her around like this? Were they looking for her now, or did they not care? Maybe things weren't better at the Institute. Except it was so warm, and outside was so cold and unforgiving.

Thunder clapped loudly above Molly and she shrieked, reflexively putting her arms over her head. Molly stepped out of the alley, ready to go home. Anything was better than here.

Except...how to get home?

Molly knew her energy was spent. She couldn't morph, and even if she could, the rain would make it difficult to smell a trail, see, fly or much else. She looked around her. Across the street there was an empty business space up for rent.  
Molly went around the back to the alley. Thankfully, somehow, the back door to the place was unlocked. Molly opened it to enter an empty restaurant kitchen, covered in chrome counters with matching ovens, and two huge doors of a fridge and freezer off to the right. It was dry and clean at least.

Molly lay down on the floor and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

Sometime later, Molly felt something crawling on her. She jerked up, scooting back.  
It was a roach! Gross! Molly went and sat in the would-be dining room, hoping no one would see inside.  
She settled in and prepared to go back to sleep.

"Molly? Molly?" A voice called out.

Molly sat up, then veered back. Who was it? More bad people?

Remy entered the room, slowly making his way to Molly.  
"You're safe. We were all worried out of our minds.-I know you're scared, but home is the best place for you right now. We would never hurt you, Molly. I would never hurt you." Remy held out his hand.

Molly looked past Remy at her friends. They did seem worried. Upset even. Molly looked at Remy again. He was being honest, genuine, real. Through all the mental fog, Molly could see that.

Molly reached out and took Remy's hand.  
"It was so cold outside, and I was so tired, I wasn't sure how to get home."

"We've got you," Remy said, putting and arm around her and walking her out.

* * *

As per usual, nothing happened instantly. Back at home, Remy was dismayed that it would take anywhere from a few days to a week to find a cure for Molly.

Meanwhile, it was the next morning and Molly lay in a medical bed under Remy's constant supervision with no sedation. After the events that had occurred, she seemed much calmer than she'd started out, but further testing showed she still had the chemical making her paranoid in her system.

"Want anything else, Petite?" Remy asked after Molly had breakfast.

"No, thanks. I think I just want to watch TV," Molly said.

They watched TV for a while, then just sat around talking Kitty, Rogue and Kurt came down and sat around the bed.

"We really are sorry-again-for what happened yesterday," Rogue said. The others nodded in agreement.

"It was...uh...hurtful, but it's okay. I was in the wrong, too. Next time I'll do better." Molly said. She still felt exhausted. "Did you take care of the riots?"

"We got some footing, but it's going to take a while," Kitty explained, "We're going back in a few days."

"Good," Molly said.

"You still look wiped out. Anything we can do?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing. Wait until I'm all better and then maybe you can help," Molly said.

"Molly looks tired, I think we'd better let her sleep," Remy said. Everyone left the room to talk outside in the hallway.

"I can't believe she's still...you know," Kitty said, "You'd think it would be out of her system by now."

"Not gonna happen. Hank said it's a little like a virus and hangs on, but once there's a cure, it should be attacked and destroyed in a matter of hours," Remy explained.

"Did they ever figure out what 'it' is?" Rogue asked.

"Some kind of super pollen that got into the water. It has to be ingested to have any affect, but once it gets in, it mutates and gets all virus-y, making you paranoid," Remy said.

"Hope that Hank finds a cure by the week's end. It's too hard watching Molly suffer," Kurt sighed.

"I know," Remy nodded, "She's going to get better. We just have to wait."

* * *

That evening, Remy stayed with Molly after dinner. They'd been talking awhile.

"Remy?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking," Molly ran her fingers through her hair, "I know I'm not...all there...right now, but things have gotten so bad for me lately. Maybe...I'd like to...make some kind of will or something when I'm better."

Remy looked aghast, but seemed to understand.  
"You are all there, you're just not feeling like yourself. Uh, so, you're sure about that?"

Molly nodded. "This has been close. Too close. One day something might happen,  
and then what? This is close to going crazy and the amount of stuff that could happen to us is endless, not just death. I want everyone to know what my final wishes would be, what to do with my stuff, that sort of thing."

"It sounds dark, I'll admit it, but I get it," Remy said, "Tomorrow isn't guaranteed.  
That said, we should talk about it at length when you're past this."

"Okay," Molly smiled a little for the first time in ages.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men:Evolution or it's characters. Just my OC, Molly Callum/Creature and any original characters/background characters that may pop up from time to time.

* * *

The next morning, Hank came into the room.  
"I made a cure and it can be administered immediately."

"Fantastic!" Remy smiled.

"Good. Uh, great," Molly nodded.  
Molly held on to Remy since it required another shot. One poke and it was done.  
"You should feel the effects disappear in a few hours," Hank explained.

"I feel it working already," Molly said, "Thanks so much. I owe you."

As soon as Hank left the room, Molly started crying. Not the burst into tears type of crying,  
but choked out, sudden sobs.

"Hey, hey, shhh. It's okay, it's okay," Remy pulled her against his chest,  
"It was horrifying. Worst thing you've been through. I'm here, it's okay."

"Scary, bad. Too scary. Didn't know what to do. Don't feel like everything's gonna kill me anymore," Molly said shakily, "B-but I can't let this stop me. Not like before."

Remy just nodded.

"I just can't dwell on it again. I have to forget. Treat it like a bad dream," Molly became more composed again.

"Whatever you need me to do for you, I'll do," Remy said, "I won't let you go through it alone."

* * *

A few days later, Molly felt more back to herself. It would take her a while to get past everything that happened,  
but she knew she was resilient, and everyone kept reminding her of that. One afternoon, Remy and she were hanging out in her room, sitting on the bed.

"So, uh, you still want to make out that will you were talking about before?" Remy said carefully.

"I've had a lot of time to think about that," Molly answered, "It was a dumb idea had in a time of crisis when I wasn't doing well. It sounds feasible, even realistic, but I shouldn't have to think about stuff like that now, even if we've had a lot of close calls. I want to live in the moment with you, not think about if I'll die too soon and what would happen. I don't want what-if's. I want to live in the present."

"Well, hopefully, nothing will happen for a very long time," Remy said. He kissed her gently and lovingly.

"I know I said it a lot, but thanks again for staying with me through everything.  
I know it got crazy, but you know how to keep me calm, even when the worst things happen," Molly smiled sadly.

"I'll always be here for you," Remy kissed the back of her hand, "Through good and bad, the best and worst of it, in sickness and in health, 'till death do us part."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "Save a little devotion for later. You know, for actual vows.-If they happen."

"Can't. I'm in too deep. You have me for eternity," Remy smiled slowly.

"...Me too, Remy. Me too," Molly smiled back.


End file.
